User:Gary/Drafts/Canadian Confederation/Old

Background

 * After the Constitutional Act of 1791, the British colony of the Province of Quebec was separated into two provinces, Upper (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec).
 * Both provinces were later rejoined to form the Province of Canada in 1840. Upper Canada became Canada West, and Lower Canada became Canada East.
 * After the United States broke free from the British Empire during the American Revolution, the British Empire made significant changes to the administration of its remaining North American colonies by enacting the Constitutional Act of 1791. Changes included appointing in every province a lieutenant-governor, assisted by an executive council, a legislative council, and a house of assembly. The executive councils were answerable to London rather than to their respective house of assemblies.

Upper Canada

 * In 1791, Upper Canada had a population of about 10,000 people, most of which were United Empire Loyalists, along with significant groups of Francophone and Aboriginal peoples.
 * During the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783), subjects loyal to the British Empire left the United States to settle in Canada.
 * Upper Canadian identity, along with the province's ties to England, was strengthened when it was forced to defend against the Americans, who invaded Canada, therefore initiating the War of 1812.
 * Although the powers of the province's government were separated into separate councils, in reality, the governing of the province was centred around the Family Compact, a group of wealthy, Anglican, conservative elites, which populated most of the arms of the Upper Canadian government. Unhappiness about the group's influence grew steadily among Upper Canadians in the 1820s, culminating in the Rebellions of 1837, a pair of armed uprisings that aimed to achieve responsible government for the province.
 * Following the rebellions, England assigned British statesman Lord Durham to draft a report to provide recommendations for changes that they could make to the government of Upper Canada. One of these recommendations led to the Act of Union of 1841, which merged Upper and Lower Canada to form the Province of Canada.